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Scream

We horror fans are a weird breed: we actually enjoy watching people get attacked by angry ghosts, or sometimes murderous dream demons! We also tend to remember the first time we watched a horror film; either by date, or by film. We also tend to favor a certain Movie Director or two as well. In my case, it’s Mr. Wes Craven; who fans will know as the man behind such classics like Scream, and my personal favorite, A Nightmare On Elm Street. I remember the first time I saw both of these films: Scream was at a friend’s place and I had to hide under the blankets during the opening death sequence, and Nightmare was late at night [in my room] when I was about 13 years old. Back then, I was terrified by the film, I feared for the night because; what could be scarier than someone attacking you when you’re most vulnerable? When you’re asleep? Although scared, I was curious, so as I got older, I began watching the sequels..quickly making the Nightmare film series [as cheesy as they got] my all time favorite horror film franchise.

Besides being known far and wide for creating the iconic Freddy Krueger and Ghostface, Cravenalso wrote and produced film features for television and occasionally, wrote novels. Wes Craven was a humanities professor before leaving academia to work in post production. As most horror fans can tell you, his first official credited film was the controversial film The Last House On The Left:which he wrote, directed andedited back in 1972! Naturally, he followed it up with the blackly comic The Hills Have Eyes and Swamp Thing, which – if you know your comic books – was an early entry in the comic book to film adaptation genre! I only started to notice Wes during Nightmare though, Where the surreal slasher film is credited with having started something called the “dream reality” style of 1980s horror filmmakers and in turn; helped launch independent film studio New Line Cinema, which is sometimes referred to as “the house that Freddy built.”

[artwork is credited to @CodySchibi; I love the art-style!]

However, as I’m sure you saw all over the internet: Wes Craven had been struggling with brain cancer for a long time.. and last night, it caught up to him; passing away [in his LA home] at the age of 76.. a true master of horror – has left us. One of the last projects Craven was working on was MTV’s TV series adaptation of Scream, on which he worked as an executive producer. The series was recently renewed for a second season, back on July 29th. [I still have to start the series..now more than ever!]“Wes Craven was a tremendous visionary whose sensibility for scares has connected with generations of MTV fans,”MTV has said in a statement. “We are honored to have worked with him and proud to carry on his legacy with Scream:Our hearts go out to his family and friends.”

It’s a truly sad day for us horror fans, we lost one of the greats.. From Ghostface to Krueger, horror won’t be the anywhere near the same without someone who helped push the envelope in the genre. Although horror will last without him, it won’t ‘feel’ right without Craven, who made us feel fear when we’re arguably, the most vulnerable..

So this post is for you Wes, you started scaring me at a fairly young age; and I wouldn’t have it any other way! You’ve inspired so many horror directors with your stylized cinematography, but you can’t replace an original. From everyone who loves the horror genre as much as you did; this is us saying “thanks”. Fun Fact: Craven actually told The Los Angeles Times in an interview: “My goal is to die in my 90s on the set, say, `That’s a wrap,’ after the last shot, fall over dead and have the grips go out and raise a beer to me.” and raise a beer we did, Wes, this one’s for you!

Ever since it was announced, I’ve been finding myself concerned for MTV‘s Scream: The TV Series. It may be because of my in depth review of the first film though, considering I called Scream one of the most important horror films of it’s time – if not all time! It’s not so much the series as a whole I’m worried about, but rather how is it going to translate from big budget film[s] to television? I’m not quite sure what kind of show MTV plans to deliver, but with the first episode releasing on June 30th, 2015; I’m becoming more and more curious as to how this show will all play out. As we learned in the Scream films, Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game. And everybody dies – and this show seems no different, boasting murders at parties, and everyone being on the floor: either with slit necks, or knives in their heads! The odd thing about MTV producing this show is that Scream[the original film] was actually the winner of the 1997 MTV Movie Award for Best Picture. Another interesting thing to note about this new version of the series is that it doesn’t take place in the same town as the films, but rather a smaller town known as Lakewood. For those unfamiliar with Scream: The TV Series, I’ve included the synopsis below:

“After a cyber-bullying incident results in a brutal murder, the shocking violence stirs up memories of a killing spree from the past that has haunted some, intrigued others and maybe just inspired a new killer. A group of teens – with two old friends struggling to reconnect at its heart – become lovers, enemies, suspects, targets and victims of a killer who’s out for blood.”

I love Ghostface just as much as everyone, but apparently the signature mask will NOT be appearing in the show…

Since we still have a month and a bit before it’s release, I find myself with a few questions involving the show: with the most important being: will the “rules” apply? Or will the series be, or feel, as comedic as the films felt at times? It’s something we will have to wait til the end of June to find out with ten episodes being made for season one. The show will be written by JillBlotevogel, [who wrote a few episodes of 2002’s The Twilight Zone]and will have Canadian Director Jamie Travis on board as well. This series was originally planned to be released in mid-2014, however, this was changed to Summer 2015 with the pilot episode being called “Red Roses”.

Now the question is, are you excited for Scream: The TV Series? If you’re still not entirely sure how to feel about all this; check out the newest promo for the show, entitled: “Killer Party” below – it’s bloody, it’s vicious, and it looks [half-] decent so far. Let me know your thoughts about it in a comment or two! Also, if you found yourself to enjoy this piece, please take a minute and follow me over on Facebook where you can click the “like” button on my Facebook page. By clicking “like”, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted. I also share links and pictures that will not be featured here on the blog. So be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share the page with family and friends!!

Ever since 1996, slasher film maker Wes Craven hasn’t made a movie like Scream. While not all of the movies were perfect, one thing is for certain: the movies certainly did flip the slasher movie genre around its head. Even today, the Scream franchise has had it’s influence on pop culture, and many different horror films. We haven’t seen a new film since Scream 4 which was back in 2011, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they decided to make a fifth. With MTV announcing that they will be making a TV series based on the films, I decided to re-watch the first in the series, and analyze why it’s such an important film in the horror genre as an whole. I even wrote up a Friday Fun Fact on the movie – which can be read here – because it’s so damn entertaining to watch!

besides the fact that the film is self-aware, Scream had been credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the late 90s by combining a typical slasher film with filled with humor, it’s awareness of horror film clichés and a fairly clever plot! While Scream was one of the highest grossing films of 1996 and became, and remains; the highest grossing slasher film in the world, its success was only matched by Scream 2, which not onlybroke box-office records at the time but also had some critics argue that it was actually a betterfilm than the original. Unfortunately, Scream 3 ended up being considered worse [by many, including myself] than its predecessors, both critically and financially. Critics even were making comments that it had become the type of horror film Scream was making fun of in the first place.. It did however, receive some positive responses with claims that it was the perfect end to the film trilogy.. at least until Scream 4 came out..

Another important thing to note is that there has been a few films that tried to follow in the footsteps of Scream, including the ever famous I Know What You Did Last Summer [which would make sense, since it’s screenplay was written by the same guy] and surprisingly, Bride Of Chucky[considering it’s poster pretty well ripped off Scream 2, and it’s totally self-aware]

Being as we’re only talking about the first Scream film, one of the bigger twists that we, the viewers, learn was the fact that not only was Billy the killer, but Stu was one as well. [as seen above] This tends to raise question[s] like: who killed whom? Obviously, to make things less suspecting – one would stick around, while the other killed. To clear up confusion for first time viewers, I’ve made a list of the deaths [of characters] and who committed the kill, So hopefully, this helps clear the confusion.. If you don’t remember a name, be sure to click on the name of the individual to see the character in the film. Enjoy:

PHONE CALLS: There are three main phone calls in the film. The first is Casey‘s, the second is Sidney‘s, and the third is the one Sidney gets at Tatum‘s house. In the film, Billy and Stu are using a voice changer to disguise their voice which means it could have been either one of them at any time. But, if you look at the script, there originally was no voice changer. That wasn’t added in until later. In the original script, you find out at the end that it as Stu doing an impression the whole time, which means he did all of the calls. They probably changed it only because they were worried the audience would recognize Matthew Lillard[who played Stu], but that doesn’t change the fact that Kevin, the screenwriter, envisioned Stu making those calls. There’s other evidence, too. The cops checked Billy‘s phone records and found no calls to Casey or Sidney. And if Billy somehow did do the Sidney call, how come the cops couldn’t find a voice changer on him or at the scene? And because he didn’t have said voice changer in jail, he couldn’t have done the call to Tatum‘s house.

STEVE: First, lets get this out of the way. Both killers were there. Some say Stu couldn’t have been there because Tatum says Stu was with her that night, but what about what Randy said? “Was that before or after he SLICED and DICED?” We don’t know how long he was at Tatum‘s, which means Stu could have helped kill Casey and Steve and then went over to Tatum‘s, or he could have went to Tatum‘s first and THEN helped kill Casey and Steve. We already know he made the phone calls, but there’s also the fact that the killer gets around quickly in this scene, which Wes and Kevin explain in the commentary as they were needing more than one killer. So who killed Steve was probably Billy. Stu was on the phone, so Billy probably had more elbow room and free time. Plus, Steve is gutted practically as soon as the killer stops talking, which shows that there wouldn’t be enough time for Stu to make the kill.

CASEY: Kevin Williamson already confirmed on Twitter that it was Stu, and there’s enough evidence to support that., When Casey takes off the killer’s mask before being stabbed, there’s a big dramatic “she knows who it is” moment, and based on the fact that we know Casey used to date Stu.[which would explain why she was targeted in the first place]

SIDNEY’S ATTACK: Again, both were there, while Stu made the call. So who popped out of the closet? Look how fast the killer disappears and Billy appears – it couldn’t have been Billy. It had to be Stu. On a sidenote: Billy dropped the phone on purpose because he wanted to get arrested so the cops could find out he didn’t make the calls and he would be written off as a suspect. It’d also help guilt trip Sidney into sleeping with him. Not to mention, they were planning on killing Sidney on her mother’s anniversary, which wasn’t for another 2 days in-movie.

BATHROOM ATTACK: This one is difficult and also heavily debated. It couldn’t be Stu because Stu was wearing brown pants and the person in the bathroom was wearing dark blue washed jeans. This means it was either Billy or one of the pranksters. First off, when did they get in there? Sidney goes in, goes into the handicap stall, the two cheerleaders come out and leave, then Sidney comes out right after. No interruptions. So the person must have been waiting there the whole time. It raises the question of how could it be Billy when Sidney entered the bathroom in order to get away from him? This makes me believe it was probably one of the two pranksters. The following scene with the reporter seems to hint at this when she says “Many teens have been seen wearing scary masks..”

MR. HIMBRY’S DEATH: with Stu was outside inviting people to his party, Billy was the only one available to be the one killing Himbrey. quick, and easy.

BUSHES AND GROCERY STORE: Some assume this to be another prankster, but a prank usually involves someone popping out and going “BOO!”, so when the person in the bushes and in the grocery store was plainly stalking someone.. That’s not a prank. Therefore, I’d say it’s probably Billy again. Who knows? He was perhaps following Sidney around to see if she still suspected him.

TATUM’S DEATH: Stu was inside entertaining his guests, so it makes you wonder where was Billy? Isn’t it convenient that he doesn’t show up until right afterTatum‘s death? it can be inferred that Stu sent Tatum to get him a beer where Billy was waiting the whole time. They needed her out of the way so Billy could be alone with Sidney. “If Tatum sees you she’ll draw blood”, can also be taken as a dark, but humorous clue.

BEHIND RANDY: Some say it’s Billy because actor Skeet Ulrich was the actor in costume while filming the scene, but that’s just because Skeet really wanted to wear it at some point. [whereas Matthew Lillard never got the chance to] This doesn’t mean the character is in costume, or else that’s like saying that Billy and Stu didn’t kill anybody and it was a stuntman the whole time. This makes it seem it was probably Stu. After Sidney got away he came downstairs after her, then that’s when he heard Randy talking to the TV.

KENNY’S DEATH: Probably Stu. It was also the same person that was behind Randy, which can be proven by the editing of the movie.

DEWEYSTABBING/COP CAR SCENE: This one is also tricky. Let’s start with the order of events: Stu kills Kenny, Dewey and Gale come back from their walk, Dewey goes into the house, Gale crashes the van, and Dewey comes out of the house with the knife in his back followed by the killer. The stabbing could have been Stu, except for one thing: “I thought you said she was dead”. “She looked dead, man. Still does.” This means that Stu must have checked on Gale, but how could he have done so if he was in the house stabbing Dewey? He probably couldn’t even see the crash from in there, let alone check on her. So there’s the possibility that it was Billy. He heard Dewey calling names, got himself into costume, came down, and then stabbed him in the back. That’s when he saw Sidney, who was clearly terrorized her in the car while Stu was checking on Gale, then disappeared and found a way back upstairs while Randy and Stu were with Sidney. But that raises a question: when did Stu even tell Billy that Gale was dead, and how did he get back upstairs without anyone noticing? The most likely scenario is that the line was added in for a joke but wasn’t really thought out fully. If that’s the case, it was most likelyStu who did the stabbing.

Hopefully, the above list explains things a little better. It’s a complicated film in it’s own right, but it’s also very clever. Although the sequels weren’t all as good – the classic first film is probably my favorite. While I’m still a bigger fan boy of Wes Craven’s original film: A Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream is still just as good, making both cult classics within the horror genre! With the talks of a Scream TV Show, I’m both worried and excited – because now anything is fair game for Ghostface. Now I turn to you, the reader, do you like the SCREAM movies? If so, which sequel is your favorite? Let me know in a comment or two!

Also, if you enjoyed reading this piece, please take a minute and head over to Facebook to click the “like” button on my Facebook page. By clicking “like”, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted. if that’s not convincing enough, I also share things that will not be featured here on the blog. So be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share the page with family and friends!

What’s your favorite scarymovie? Sound familiar? the story of the movie we’re talking about is about a girl named Sydney. When a serial killer [later to be known as Ghostface] shows up, Sidney starts to suspect that her mother’s abrupt death [which happened a year prior to the beginning of the movie] and two new deaths involving her friends are somehow related. In today’s edition of Friday Fun Fact, If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re going to be analyzing a special gem [that still holds up well today] known to the world as Scream. I remember the first time I had watched the film; it was at a friend’s house and being the youngish kid I was, I remember being so severely shocked at the quality of the gore. It was one of the first times I had seen a film where the gore effects were done well enough enough to “feel real”. As I got older, and I started to understand horror movies a bit better, I came to realize that Scream isn’t so much a horror film, but more of a satire on horror films. It falls victim to many horror cliches, but that was the point of it: to make fun of typical horror tropes. Let me give you an example. According to the film, there are six specific “rules” that horror films tend to follow. These six “rules” are as follows:

1. You will not survive if you have sex

2. You will not survive if you drink or do drugs

3. You will not survive if you say “I’ll be right back”

4. Everyone is a suspect.

5. You will not survive if you ask “Who’s there?”

6. You will not survive if you go out to investigate a strange noise.

It’s pretty intense how on point the “rules” are; especially in typical slasher films of today. it’s surprising how many films actually fit those rules, It’s as if Wes Craven knew how typical horror movies work! [I assure you: that would be sarcasm, people!]

but did you know?

During the film’s initial production, Ghostface‘s signature black robe was originally planned to be white – the idea was that it’d make him look even more “like a ghost”. This was quickly changed though, because after testing the outfit out, the producers worried that people would start comparing the killer’s costume to those that the Ku Klux Klan wear. [good call, team! Saved an earful and a half!]

Here’s another fun fact for you youngsters! [specifically: the guys!] Remember the scene when Tatum enters the garage through the dog-door? When the movie was first released [and still to this day] many viewers mentioned that the actress’ nipples are shown to be extremely erect through her shirt! In case you were wondering, this wasn’t achieved by using prosthetics. That’s right, what I’m saying is: the “nipples” you’re seeing are in fact, the actress’ real nipples. [for all you perverts, and nipple enthusiasts, check them out for yourself down below!]

in case you were wondering: I had to Google “Tatum enters garage – Scream”.

The last bit of trivia, comes with some truth attached to it: The Ghostface killer was actually based on a Florida serial killer, known as the “Gainesville Ripper“. Later revealed to be Danny Rolling, the Ripperwas found guilty of murdering five students [one was a student of the Santa Fe College and the other four went to the University Of Florida] during a burglary and robbery spree in Gainesville, Florida. He was known for mutilating his victims‘ bodies, even going so far as decapitating one of them. Ultimately, he was executed by lethal injection in late 2006. [read more about the Gainesville Ripperover on CrimeLibrary]

In the end, Screamwasn’t based on actual events – just inspired by some. It’s a great film, which I’ve come to love; and the series is even getting itself a TV series in the near future! [which, in my opinion, is kinda weird] Ghostface is fucking terrifying, more so when you consider who he turned out to be. [in the movies]